1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a universal mounting bracket by which any one of a variety of water meters for measuring the volume of water consumed by a user is mechanically coupled in close proximity to a data logger that is adapted to transmit a signal to a remote receiver which is indicative of the volume of water measured by the water meter. By virtue of the foregoing, the water meter and the data logger will be held in spaced side-by-side alignment with one another to avoid blocking or interfering with the signal being transmitted by the antenna of the data logger.
2. Background Art
Water meters have long been used to measure the volume of water delivered from a municipal source and consumed by residential, commercial and government agency users. In most cases, the water meter must be read and the readings recorded by an individual so as to provide an accounting of the water consumed by the user. In other cases, the indication of water consumption measured by the water meter can be transmitted by means of a signal that is emitted by a transmitter that is associated with the water meter for receipt at a remote receiver. By way of particular example, a data logger has been employed to transmit information that is indicative of the volume of water delivered to a user and measured by the water meter. The data logger includes an antenna for transmitting a corresponding radio frequency signal to the remote receiver so that information can be collected and recorded automatically without the intervention of meter reading personnel.
In this same regard, no means has heretofore been provided for coupling the data logger to the water meter in order to hold the data logger and water meter in close proximity to one another so as to minimize the run of electrical wiring therebetween and assure that the antenna of the data logger is properly positioned so as to be able to transmit an unimpeded signal to the remote receiver. That is to say, it has been common to tie the data logger to a plastic (e.g. PVC) stake which is planted in the ground near the water meter. In time, the ground has been known to erode whereby the stake will fall and the data logger that is tied thereto is laid against the ground. Consequently, the antenna of the data logger may become misaligned with the receiver or otherwise aimed towards an obstruction, whereby the signal transmitted between the antenna of the data logger and the remote receiver is susceptible to interference or blockage. It is also common to simply toss the data logger inside an enclosure in which the water meter is located to prevent tampering. The data logger within this enclosure is therefore randomly positioned such that the antenna thereof is often oriented so as to be out of alignment with the remote receiver with the possibility of causing the signal and the corresponding information transmitted from the antenna to be blocked or suffer interference.
In general terms, a universal mounting bracket is disclosed by which any one of a variety of water meters for measuring the volume of water consumed by a residential, commercial or government agency user is mechanically coupled in close proximity to a data logger having an antenna from which a signal that is indicative of the volume of water measured by the water meter is transmitted to a remote receiver. Accordingly, the data logger will be held and spaced side-by-sided alignment with the water meter to prevent the position of the data logger from changing in order to advantageously preserve the initial alignment between the antenna of the data logger and the remote receiver to avoid signal blockage or interference.
The universal mounting bracket is preferably manufactured from metal and includes a flat base to be connected to the bottom of the water meter and a flat face to be connected to a side of the data logger, whereby the data logger is held in close proximity to the water meter to minimize the run of electrical wiring that extends therebetween. The flat base and face of the mounting bracket are coextensively connected and perpendicularly aligned relative to one another. A pair of bolt holes are formed in each of the base and face of the mounting bracket to receive respective bolts therethrough for connecting the mounting bracket between the water meter and the data logger. However, one of the bolt holes formed in the base of the mounting bracket has an elongated configuration so as to receive a bolt at different positions therealong depending upon the particular size of water meter to which the mounting bracket is to be connected and/or the location of a corresponding receptacle at the bottom of the water meter within which the bolt is to be located.